Make this easy change to your closet and rediscover your personal style
What phase of the pandemic are we in again?
Is anyone back to skipping showers and pouring a glass of wine with lunch? Just me?
A few weeks ago I had a reckoning with the pandemic and how it relates to…my closet. I can’t believe I’m saying this but we’re close to 2 years into dealing with Covid, and while I have exponentially grown my collection of loungewear, I still found myself feeling bored and uninspired, choosing among the same 6 items to wear every single day. One morning, fed up with it all, it dawned on me that my thinking, and my closet, hadn’t caught up with reality.
Like I’d guess is the case for many others, I used to categorize my clothes first by the location I’d wear them: work, going out, fancy events, the gym, and staying home. So for the past two years I have become one with my ‘at home’ collection while growing estranged to pretty much everything else. Granted, we’re living in strange times right now but it got me thinking how wild it is that I have all these clothes that are completely useless to me. Almost all of my closet was going untouched, with no plans for when I’d ever pull them out again.
So why was my closet oriented toward a way of life that no longer exists for me? Actually, sorting my clothes based on location just doesn’t apply anymore. My life is at home now, and as much as it’s felt like that fact would no longer apply any minute now, it’s as true today as it ever was. It’s time to stop resisting the Covid way of life and start making changes in my home to reflect and support how I live today, and I started with my wardrobe.
I took out every one of my tops, from all categories, and hung each one of them together, this time organized by color but all stored in the same visual space. Silk blouses next to faded t-shirts next to crop tops. Simple as that. One long bar packed with all my tops. I’m telling you this change has been transformative for me. Not only am I finally using more of what I own, but I’m also learning a lot about my personal style. Here’s why:
Before the re-sort, the decision to wear faded t-shirts had already been made for me. Those shirts were in the ‘not leaving the house’ section of my closet, and since I wouldn’t be leaving the house, that’s where I went. It was literally a no-brainer decision. But by removing the filter that told me which clothes are ‘appropriate’ to wear for my day, my mind opened up to the possibilities of wearing any top I wanted. With everything presented together, picking the silk top became as easy to choose as the sports tee, and my considerations shifted away from predetermined ideas of what I ‘should’ wear toward what I’m drawn to and what makes me feel best that day.
As I continue to ask myself what I want to wear out of a greater variety of clothes, I’ve begun to notice patterns in how I like to see myself, the colors I like to wear, the fit and style that makes me feel fine. It’s even spurred some creativity and exploration with my look, pairing items I hadn’t before, just to see what would happen. After all, I’m not leaving the house so I can look as silly, sloppy, or sexy as I want to be!
The items in my wardrobe didn’t change but how I interact with them did, which is what opened me up to consider new possibilities and explore in real terms how I like to look and feel. If your closet and at-home mindset could use a reframe, I highly recommend it! I’ve only gone as far as tops, but I’m seriously considering adding in some dresses to the mix. I look bomb in a dress but don them only a few times a year, so maybe it’s time to see how I really feel about them!
